


Team bonding

by Rosetylars



Category: Cricket RPF, Sports RPF
Genre: Friends to Lovers, Idiots in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Obliviousness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-04
Updated: 2020-05-04
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:29:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23999788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rosetylars/pseuds/Rosetylars
Summary: Tim has decided the boys need to write love letters to each other to improve team relationships.AKA, an elaborate plan to force Adam and Marcus to confess to each other.
Relationships: Aaron Finch/Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis/Adam Zampa, Tim Paine/Steve Smith, mentions of
Comments: 16
Kudos: 20





	Team bonding

**Author's Note:**

> Love letter concept inspired by a genuine activity St Kilda players were asked to do in the AFL. I wish I was kidding!!

The first time Marcus heard about Tim’s new team-building activity, he thought it was a great idea. 

Tim had pitched the idea when it was decided that Australian cricket needed to redefine its culture. He suggested that a great way to establish a stronger culture would be to start with improving relations between players. 

His idea of how to achieve this? Every player would be allocated another player within Cricket Australia to write a letter to, highlighting positive things they admire or respect about the other person. Tim’s big condition was that the letter had to include something the other person didn’t know about them.

At the time, Tim had declared that it would encourage every player to think about positive qualities in others, and that might encourage them to work on more positive qualities in themselves as a result.

They sat in a circle on the floor of the MCG meeting room, and Tim handed everybody an envelope with a name in it. The person inside would be the recipient of the letter.

Marcus was totally on board with the idea - he was a huge believer that strong teams were built upon strong relationships - until he read the name inside his envelope.

He tried not to show any emotion as he stuffed the tiny piece of paper back inside the envelope, as if he could make it disappear.

Because written on his slip, in Tim’s scratchy, all-capitals handwriting, was Zamps’ name.

Whenever they trained out of Melbourne, Marcus stayed at the same lovely hotel. If he was honest with himself, one of the reasons he had such fond memories of this place was the ridiculous amount of happy memories he had here with Zamps. 

They would hang out with each other pretty much every morning, drinking Zamps’ beautifully made filtered coffee. 

The night before, the boys had watched a movie together. Their friendship was playful and tactile, which was nice, but every passing touch and cuddle made Marcus’ heart ache that Adam wasn’t his. Having feelings for his best friend was tough.

They watched the movie on Marcus’ bed, Adam’s head resting on Marcus’ lap. Marcus played with his hair, and Adam fell asleep halfway through. 

Marcus’ heart ached. Adam looked so peaceful and angelic. He desperately wanted to kiss him, but he couldn’t ruin their friendship. It was worth way too much.

***  
Maxi called him up the afternoon after they received their names. 

“Stoin! Who did you get?” Maxi asked, voice bright.

“Zamps,” Marcus replied, trying to keep his voice regular.

Maxi inhaled sharply. “That’s perfect! Does he know you have feelings for him yet?”

Marcus nearly choked on his own spit. “What- no! Of course he doesn’t! How- how do you even know about that?”

Glenn just chuckled. “Are you forgetting last Friday night when you came over to mine and Aaron’s and poured your heart out to us over a bottle of whiskey?”

Marcus’ heart stopped. Yeah, he had forgotten that crucial detail. “I didn’t,” he uttered, regretful.

“Mhm,” Maxi affirmed cheerily. “Mate, don’t even worry. I’m 100% sure he feels the same about you. He watches you get changed during Big Bash season,” Maxi chuckled.

“He- what?!” Marcus choked.

Marcus couldn’t see Glenn’s shrug through the phone. “It’s true. I don’t blame him. Your rig is elite, we all know it,” he chuckled.

Normally, a comment like that would have inflated Marcus’ ego nicely. Today, though, his heart was hammering in his chest and he felt like he couldn’t breathe. “Maxi, there’s no way Adam likes me back,” he mumbled. 

Maxi huffed. “If that’s what you think, then this is your best chance at finding out,” he declared. “You have to reveal something. You could easily tell him you think he’s cute, and just see how he reacts when he reads it. If he throws up, you’ll know he doesn’t feel the same way,” Maxi said unhelpfully.

Marcus let out a strangled groan. “This is not helping.”

“Come on mate, just think about it. Imagine how nice it’ll be if he feels the same way. You guys could be like me and Aaron,” Glenn declared.

Marcus furrowed his eyebrows. “What, breaking up and making up all the time?” he questioned.

Glenn scoffed. “Wow, rude. I meant together and happy, idiot,” he laughed.

“Sorry,” Marcus grinned into the phone. He let himself consider a reality in which he and Zamps really were together. Adam wrapped up safely in his arms, as more than friends… it seemed way too good to be true. 

“Earth to Stoin,” Maxi called through the phone, snapping Marcus out of his reverie.

“Sorry, daydreaming,” Marcus mumbled.

Glenn huffed a laugh. “I bet you were, big boy. Please listen to me, this is your best chance to work out how he feels. Or even to come clean about your feelings.”

“You know I can’t-“

“Why the fuck not, Stoin? Honestly, what’s the worst that could happen?” Maxi huffed.

Marcus took a deep breath. “A broken heart?” He admitted lamely.

“Mate, your heart is breaking every day you don’t act on this. Don’t tell me you plan to go to the grave without knowing if he felt the same way,” Maxi reasoned.

When Marcus thought about it, that sounded like a pretty horrible way to live his life. “But I don’t want to lose his friendship,” he mumbled.

“You won’t, trust me,” Maxi declared. “I have to go, Aaron’s made a stir fry and it smells amazing. But please, think about it?”

“Fine,” Marcus relented, farewelling his nosy friend.

***  
Adam had been enthusiastic about Tim’s idea until his envelope revealed the only name he didn’t want to see. He would have to write a letter to Marcus. 

He knew he could easily write a list twenty pages long about things he liked about Marcus. It was the ‘reveal something they don’t know’ part of the task that had Adam stumped. What could he possibly tell his best friend that he didn’t already know?

Unless… no, he couldn’t even think about it.

He flopped down onto his hotel bed, and before he could even close his eyes, his phone was ringing.

“Hey, Zamps,” Kane’s cheerful voice greeted.

“Kane,” Adam replied.

“Why do you sound so flat? What’s wrong?” Kane asked, concerned.

Adam groaned with frustration. “I got the worst possible person to write a letter to,” he mumbled.

“Who, Marnus?” Kane teased. 

Adam chuckled. “I could tell him I admire his commitment to frightful haircuts,” he pondered. “No. I got Marcus.”

“Can you tell me why that’s a bad thing?” Kane asked.

“You know why it’s a bad thing,” Adam mumbled.

Kane huffed. “Mate, I know you like him, but you’re best friends first. A bloody letter won’t change that,” he reasoned.

“But what the fuck am I going to write? You know there’s only one thing he doesn’t know,” Adam grumbled.

Kane took a deep breath, and Adam braced himself, already knowing what was going to come out of his friend’s mouth.

“Adsy, don’t kill me, but would it really be so bad to tell him how you feel?” Kane suggested gently.

Adam groaned. “Yes, it would be,” he declared. “Maybe I can tell him I had a pet dog that died when I was young or something, make up some bullshit.”

Kane ignored his tangent. “What if he felt the same way about you?” He suggested warmly.

Adam huffed a wry laugh. “You flatter me, Kane.”

“I’m not kidding! I’ve seen the way he looks at you,” Kane said.

Adam frowned. “We’re good mates, Kane, I’m sure that’s all there is to it.”

“No, mate, he’s ‘good mates’ with Petey. He doesn’t stare at Petey’s arse all fucking day,” Kane huffed.

“He- what?” 

“You heard me,” Kane laughed. “I’ve gotta go have a shower, but think about it. What do you have to lose?”

“My dignity?” Adam replied snarkily.

“No way. Just think about it.”

Once Kane had disconnected the call, Adam threw an arm over his face and tried to nap. His mind, traitorously, decided it would be a good time to bring up an image of Marcus shirtless in the change room. Adam groaned. 

***  
Tim sent out a text in the group chat the night before the letters were due in to make sure everyone had finished them. Marcus still had an empty piece of paper sitting on the little desk in his hotel room, taunting him. 

He decided to take the coward’s way out. He rang Tim. 

“Hello?” 

The voice at the other end of the phone did not belong to Tim. “Hi, sorry, I thought I called Tim,” Marcus said, confused. 

Marcus realised it was Steve as soon as he spoke again. “Oh, sorry, Timmy left his phone on the bed while he went to brush his teeth,” Steve chuckled. There was some shuffling as Steve moved the phone away from his mouth. “Timmy, get your butt in here, Stoin’s calling,” he called out. 

“Thanks, Steve,” Marcus replied. 

There was some more shuffling as Tim took the phone from Steve. “Sorry, mate, what’s up?” Tim asked. 

“It’s the letter, I’m really struggling,” Marcus admitted. 

There was a pause. “But you and Zamps are so close, surely you have some nice stuff you can write about him?” Tim suggested. 

Something didn’t seem right to Marcus. “How did you know he’s who I got?” Marcus asked, suspicious. 

Tim hesitated for a second. “I saw your envelope,” he declared, and it sounded like a lie, but Marcus decided to drop it. He had bigger problems to deal with.

“Anyway, I can’t do it. There’s nothing he doesn’t know about me,” Marcus lied. 

“Come on, mate, sharing something private is part of the exercise,” Tim stated. “It’ll make us all closer as a group, trust me.”

Marcus groaned with frustration. “There’s nothing!”

“Come on mate, I’m sure there’s something you want to tell him that might be easier to say on paper instead of face to face,” Tim said gently. His tone was very caring, and if Marcus weren’t so lost in his thoughts, he would have realised how suspicious it was that Tim had such an interest in his ‘homework’.

Marcus just sighed. He couldn’t disappoint Tim. “Alright, I’ll think of something,” he conceded. 

“Good work, mate. This will pay dividends, I promise you. Have a good night,” Tim farewelled cheerfully. 

Once he was off the phone, Marcus sighed, picking up the pen. He really had no choice. ‘Here goes nothing,’ he thought sarcastically. 

***  
The next morning, Adam seemed a lot more wound up than he would usually be for their coffee date. No, their coffee appointment, Marcus corrected himself mentally. Nothing they did together was ever a date.

His blue eyes were stormy, and his blonde fringe was falling into his eyes, yet he didn’t bother reaching up to fix it. He hadn’t even remembered to put in his dangly earring, Marcus realised with a jolt.

“Everything ok, Zampy?” Marcus asked. 

Adam turned to look at him quickly. “Of course, why wouldn’t it be?” He replied, voice thin.

“No reason,” Marcus lied. He knew something was up, though. Adam wasn’t himself. 

Adam didn’t speak for a while after that, brewing their coffee, and the suspense was killing Marcus. “Is it about the letters?” Marcus probed. 

Adam poured the coffee into Marcus’ mug and shoved it into the older man’s chest unceremoniously. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

“Adsy,” Marcus said gently. “You know you can tell me anything.”

“No, just... not now,” Adam insisted. “I’ll see you at training,” he said, voice small, not meeting Marcus’ eyes. 

Marcus was hurt. Had he upset Adam somehow? He stood up - he knew he had overstayed his welcome this morning. 

“Okay,” Marcus said, disappointed. “See you at training.” He left the room, stomach in knots. He immediately regretted everything he’d written in his letter. Was it too late to change it?

***  
As soon as Marcus got to training, he sought Tim out. He was in the locker room, his own locker space overrun by the monstrosity that was Steve’s locker right beside it, overflowing with far too many bats and sets of gloves for one training camp. 

Steve was showing Tim something on his phone, and Tim was smiling in reaction, a subtle hand on Steve’s lower back as he leant in to see the screen. 

“Tim, there you are,” Marcus exhaled with relief. 

Tim and Steve both looked up, and Tim withdrew his hand, shooting Steve an apologetic look before giving Marcus his full attention. 

“What’s up, mate?” Tim asked cheerfully. 

The two of them headed for a stroll outside together, and Marcus was grateful, because every step took him further away from Adam. 

“I can’t hand over my letter,” Marcus admitted, as they walked the boundary of the MCG.

Tim frowned. “Did you write one?”

“Yes, but I’ve changed my mind about it,” he mumbled. 

Tim looked at him. “Is there something you need to get off your chest?”

Marcus’ heart rate doubled. Did Tim know? Surely he couldn’t have picked up on it himself, right?

Tim must have seen Marcus’ inner turmoil pass across his face, because Tim reached up and squeezed his shoulder. 

“Mate, I’m in a relationship with Steve. You know I wouldn’t judge if there was something you wanted to tell me,” Tim said, in such a kind voice that Marcus really considered revealing what he had told very few people before. 

Marcus took a deep breath. “I have feelings for Adam,” he admitted so quietly that he worried Tim hadn’t heard him. 

Tim had heard him. And in reaction, his entire face lit up, and he pulled Marcus into a huge hug. “Oh, Marcus, I’m so happy for you,” he mumbled into Marcus’ shoulder. 

Marcus was beyond confused. “Happy for me?”

“Well, yeah, the first step to making it happen is accepting your feelings,” Tim pointed out, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. 

Marcus frowned. “Making what happen?”

“You and Zamps,” Tim said plainly. 

“What- no, that’s what I wanted to talk to you about. My letter... I wrote it last night after Maxi encouraged me to be honest with him, but then Adam was so unlike himself this morning and I really don’t think now would be a good time-“

Tim cut him off by squeezing his shoulder. “Hey, I get it. But trust me. He needs to know how you feel,” Tim assured him. 

“It’s going to ruin everything,” Marcus mumbled. 

Tim sighed. “I get it. I’ve been in your position too, remember?” 

Marcus hadn’t considered that point. He met Tim’s eyes. 

“Hey, I know it’s tough,” Tim sympathised. “But imagine how relieved you’re going to feel around him, knowing you aren’t hiding a big secret from your best friend any more,” he reasoned. 

“That does sound nice,” Marcus agreed softly. 

By now, they had walked a lap around the entire ground, and they headed back down the players’ race to get back to the locker room. 

Tim gave him one more hug. “Be brave, mate. You won’t regret this. I promise.” Tim winked at Marcus before heading back to rejoin Steve. 

***   
Before they were sent off to exchange their letters, Kane sat down beside Adam.

“Why the grumpy face?” Kane asked quietly. The chatter amongst the rest of the boys meant their conversation was relatively private.

Adam glared at him. “Why the fuck do you think?”

“Hey, easy,” Kane placated, placing a calming hand on Adam’s thigh. “You and Marcus are best friends,” he emphasised. “You need to chill. No letter is worth this much of a mood.”

“It’s going to ruin everything,” Adam huffed. 

Kane frowned. “Does that mean you actually confessed in the letter?”

Adam grimaced. The words sounded so much more important coming from Kane’s mouth. “Keep your voice down,” he mumbled.

“I take that as a yes,” Kane chuckled. “Mate, this is a good thing! Why are you so stressed out about it?”

Adam looked at Kane as if he had six heads. “That is the dumbest question I’ve heard in my life.”

Kane just sighed, used to Adam’s moods. He gave the younger man silence to let him continue.

As expected, Adam caved. “I feel like an idiot coming clean about my feelings. I could lose everything I have with him,” Adam admitted quietly.

“What do you have to lose that’s more important than what you have to gain?” Kane asked.

“Our friendship?” Adam pointed out. 

“You won’t lose that, Adsy,” Kane reassured gently. “You two love each other way too much to let that happen.” 

Adam opened his mouth to protest, but Kane put a hand out. 

“You know what I mean.” 

Their conversation was put to an end as Tim stood up and everyone started heading to get their pads on. 

“Mate, just breathe. This will end up well. Trust me,” Kane assured Adam. 

Adam wasn’t so sure.

***  
Tim sent Marcus and Adam to exchange their letters in the private treatment room. He said he was breaking everyone up to read their letters in relative privacy.

Marcus couldn’t believe what he saw. Adam - always so composed and perfect - was sweating. There was a sheen to his forehead that wasn’t normally there, and his chest was rising and falling with rapid breaths. 

“Are you okay, Adsy?” Marcus asked gently.

Adam just shook his head. “No. I can’t. I just…” 

Tim entered the room, and Marcus held back a groan at the interruption. 

“Boys, why are you wasting time? Everyone else has already started exchanging their letters,” Tim declared. “Hand them over.”

Marcus froze. And he did the only thing that seemed rational. He tore the letter in half, then into quarters, then stuffed the pieces into his mouth to destroy the evidence. He wasn’t ruining his relationship with Adam. Not for anything.

In his hurry to chew up his own letter, Marcus hadn’t seen what Adam had been doing at the very same time. Adam had torn his letter into pieces, and he kept tearing it and tearing it, until the pieces looked like confetti.

Tim just looked between them, raised his eyebrows, blinked slowly, then turned and left the room.

For the first time, the boys really looked at each other. Marcus peeled clumps of wet paper off of his tongue with his blunt nails.

“I take it neither of us wanted to hand over our letters,” Adam remarked with a wry laugh.

He almost smiled, and that alone helped calm Marcus’ racing heart. They could get through this.

“I guess not,” Marcus agreed, huffing a laugh. “Now I feel like an idiot.”

Adam just shrugged. “I do too. But it was way too much pressure. I couldn’t handle it.”

Marcus nodded. “I couldn’t have pretended to write nice things about me, either,” he tried to joke, but it fell flat.

Adam frowned at him, coming a step closer so that he could squeeze Marcus’ shoulder. Like he always had when Marcus had needed him.

“No, that’s not what I meant at all,” Adam corrected, and the concern in his voice and his soft expression made Marcus close his eyes. Adam continued. “I… there was something in there that I was too nervous about you seeing,” he admitted quietly.

Marcus opened his eyes, at that, surprised. “I felt exactly the same about my letter,” he admitted.

Adam squinted at him, scrutinising his expression. Surely they couldn’t both have been worried about the same thing?

“Adsy, you know you can tell me anything, right? Nothing will ever change how I feel about you,” Marcus said gently.

Adam sighed, not meeting Marcus’ eyes. “I don’t know,” he mumbled, biting the skin of his lip in the way that told Marcus he was very, very stressed.

Marcus couldn’t help himself - every instinct in him made him wrap Adam up in a tight hug. He tucked his chin over Adam’s head, and Adam fit perfectly in the space of his chest. Adam wrapped his arms around Marcus’ broad midsection, and Marcus felt the tension drain from the younger man’s shoulders.

Marcus pressed a kiss into his hair. 

“I’m so scared,” Adam admitted, the words muffled by the material of Marcus’ training top.

Marcus put a fraction of space between them, his arms still around Adam, so he could meet his eyes. “Hey, I’m here for you, no matter what,” he assured.

Adam’s ice blue eyes softened. “Same goes for you, you know. You did eat that letter, so it must’ve had something incriminating in it,” he huffed an almost-laugh.

Marcus pulled a face, finally releasing Adam from the hug. Adam didn’t take a step back, though, leaving barely any space between them.

“So you did see that?” Marcus asked, scratching the back of his head.

Adam rolled his eyes, finally showing Marcus a hint of that smile. “You’re an idiot,” he said fondly.

Marcus chuckled, but the smile quickly fell from his face. “I hate that we’re hiding things from each other,” he mumbled.

Adam groaned, sagging his body forward until his head was resting against Marcus’ chest once more. “Fuck it. Honestly, fuck it,” he shrugged, breaking into humourless laughter.

Marcus’ eyes widened, but he brought his hands up, one to rub Adam’s back, the other to secure the back of his head, threading his fingers through Adam’s hair. “Fuck what?” Marcus asked, confused.

Adam just sighed. “Marcus,” he breathed, and the word came out like a prayer. He stood up, meeting the older man’s eyes again, Marcus’s hands still all over him. “Marcus, I like you. As more than a friend. I have for a long time,” Adam pulled away from Marcus’ grasp, turning his back, tearing his hands through his own hair with distress. “If you don’t want to be mates any more, I get it.” By now he had paced across half of the room, and he was facing away, so he couldn’t see the other man’s reaction. 

Marcus felt like his heart was going to burst through his ribs. “Oh my god,” he exhaled. 

***  
“Oh my god,” Marcus exhaled.

Adam dropped his head. He mustn’t have felt the same way. He had just fucked everything up with his best friend. The silence stretched into several moments, and Adam felt like he was going to break down. He heard Marcus’ heavy footfalls approaching him. He smelt his cologne before he felt the warm hand on his shoulder. He felt sick.

“Adam,” Marcus whispered. “Zampy, look at me,” he urged gently.

Adam couldn’t think of anything he wanted to do less, in that moment, than meet Marcus’ eyes before he told him he didn’t feel the same way. 

But Adam turned, bracing for impact. He looked Marcus straight in the eyes, prepared to get it over with, ready to have his heart broken into a million pieces, like the stupid letter that had gotten them into this mess.

What Adam saw on Marcus’ face, though, wasn’t disgust or hatred. Instead, his expression was so soft and open that Adam almost gasped at the sight of it.

Marcus brought his hand up to Adam’s jaw, cupping it so gently in his big hand, and Adam couldn’t help but close his eyes at the gentle touch.

“Adam, I have liked you for so long,” Marcus admitted, sounding as if he couldn’t believe the words were coming out of his mouth. “So long.”

Adam didn’t want to open his eyes in case he was dreaming, but Marcus’s thumb moved ever so slightly, stroking the smooth skin over his cheekbone, reminding Adam that this was one hundred percent real.

When he opened his eyes, he saw his best friend staring at him, practically begging him to say something with those gorgeous golden brown eyes. 

“Adsy, can I-?”

Marcus didn’t get the chance to finish his question, because Adam gripped either side of his stubbly jaw and pulled his head down to crash Marcus’ lips against his own. 

Marcus gasped against Adam’s lips, before responding, kissing him back. Adam put some space between them, and Marcus’s lips followed his own momentarily before he pulled back, too. 

“I’m dreaming,” Marcus mumbled, touching his fingertips to his lips as if to check they were really there.

Adam couldn’t believe it, and a small bubble of laughter grew in his chest. “Are we fucking stupid?” Adam chuckled.

Marcus looked at him, amazed. “Come here,” he said gently.   
Adam grinned, throwing his arms around Marcus’ neck before recapturing his lips with his own.

The kiss was soft and gentle, but Adam had waited for this long enough. His tongue darted out against the seam of Marcus’ lips, and Marcus parted them obligingly, letting their tongues meet for the first time. They kissed until they were both breathless, and when they separated for air, Marcus leant his forehead against Adam’s own, adoringly.

***  
Back in the locker room, everyone else was sitting around, waiting.

“They’ve been in there forever, Timmy, when are you calling it?” Steve asked from his locker.

Tim was sitting on a table, holding court. “Just give them a bit more time.”

“They’re the two most stubborn blokes in the world. They’re going to self destruct,” Aaron declared from Maxi’s locker.

“Did Stoin really eat his letter?” Marnus asked from his spot beside Steve.

Tim nodded. 

“Surely they’ll work out it was a setup,” Alex Carey reasoned.

“No way!” Tim protested. 

Kez huffed at Tim’s response. “So we’re all just going to pretend we’ve all bonded over letters that don’t exist?”

“Does it look like we need any more team fucking bonding? Look at you lot,” Ash Agar squawked, pointing at Maxi practically draped over Aaron’s lap. 

“Oi, trust the process, alright?” Tim demanded. “Just five more minutes, trust me.”

***Marcus couldn’t stop pressing light kisses to Adam’s lips, eliciting the most delightful giggles from the blonde.

“Should we go back to the others? They’re probably worrying about us,” Adam suggested.

Marcus wanted to stay in this moment with Adam forever, but he knew that this was only the beginning for them.

“Fine,” he sighed, reluctant. “One more kiss,” he requested.

Adam obliged with a smile.

A very drawn out moment later, Adam squeezed Marcus’ hand before they headed back along the hallway to the locker room together. Adam let go of his hand before they faced the rest of the boys. They could be subtle.

The chattering stopped immediately as soon as they walked in. Every single person was staring at them. 

“Why are you guys staring at us?” Marcus asked. He took half a step in front of Adam, trying to protect him from the scrutiny.

“They kissed, look at their lips,” Marnus declared, pointing.

Marcus covered his mouth with his hand, guilty. “Marn, what the fuck?”

All hell broke loose. “Zampy’s hair was not that messy fifteen minutes ago,” Maxi pointed out.

Adam tore his fingers through his hair, self-conscious.

“What the hell are you guys on about?” Marcus asked.

Adam put a supportive arm around Marcus’ waist, leaning his head against the side of Marcus’ shoulder.

“I knew it!” Steve declared. “Boys, settle the debate. Did you or did you not just confess you liked each other?”  
Marcus stopped breathing. 

“Fuck it,” Adam exhaled. “Yes, we did. The rest of it is none of your business. Now that that’s settled, can you all stop staring at us and move on with your lives?”

The rest of the boys exchanged thrilled or knowing looks, and tried to busy themselves with packing up their bags for the day.

When the initial craziness had died down, Marcus thought they were off the hook.

“Guess it’s not just between us, then,” Marcus chuckled, lacing up the sneakers he was heading home in. 

Adam shrugged. “These boys are obsessed with each others’ business, we shouldn’t be surprised,” he reasoned.

“True,” Marcus agreed. He pressed a quick kiss to Adam’s temple, unable to resist. 

Adam’s responding smile was perfect, and Marcus melted at the sight.

***  
Across the room, Tim nudged Steve and gestured towards Marcus and Adam, talking in hushed tones, lost in each other. When Marcus kissed Adam’s temple, Tim just looked at Steve expectantly.

“You were right,” Steve acknowledged. “I must admit, I thought the whole letter plan was a bit farfetched, but they bought it.”

“Hook, line and sinker,” Tim grinned. 

“Hopefully now they can sort out their ridiculous sexual tension,” Marnus added.

Tim chuckled. “Won’t take long, by the looks of it.”

Across the room, Marcus had reached out to tuck a rogue chunk of hair behind Adam’s ear. The gesture was so tender that Tim smiled at the sight of it.

***  
“So?” Kane asked Adam when they sat together on the bus back to the hotel.

“You were right,” Adam conceded, though it pained him to do so.

“About confessing?” Kane asked.

Adam nodded. “We kissed,” he admitted quietly.

Kane grinned, reaching out to pinch Adam’s cheek.

Adam swatted his hand away, screwing up his face. 

“That was pretty obvious when you both walked in looking guilty as all hell,” Kane reasoned.

“Bullshit, there’s no way you could tell,” Adam retorted.

Kane scoffed. “Believe what you want to.”

At the front of the bus, Marnus knelt on his seat, turning around to face everybody. He cleared his throat dramatically, getting everyone’s attention. “Guys, I think we all owe Painey a big congratulations for the most elaborate setup in history,” he declared.

Adam frowned, locking eyes with Marcus a few rows in front of him, both confused.

Kane just grinned sheepishly, and everyone else seemed to be holding back giggles. 

Marcus took the bait. “What setup?”

Marnus looked thrilled with the question, as if he had scripted the conversation. “Stoin, mate, don’t you think it’s a bit convenient that you and Adam both had to write letters to each other when it was a ‘random draw’?” Marnus emphasised the words with air quotes.

Adam’s heart stopped, realising, but Marcus didn’t seem to be on the same page. He blinked at Marnus, clearly looking for more information.

“Why, who did everyone else get?” Marcus asked, lost.

Ash Agar laughed. “Nobody else wrote one, idiot!”

“But everyone got an envelope and Tim texted in the group chat,” Adam pointed out. “Are you telling me that was all fake?”

“Yep, such was my commitment to the cause,” Tim grinned.

Adam dropped his head forward to lean against the seat in front.

Marcus was looking around, bewildered. “Tim, is that true?”

Tim shrugged. “Sorry mate, we had to get you two to confess to each other somehow,” he reasoned.

“I get it,” Adam declared, just to shut them all up. “So this was all an elaborate plan just for the two of us,” he deduced.

Tim nodded, smiling cheekily.

Adam just shook his head. 

***  
Marcus knocked on Adam’s door shortly after they got back to the hotel.

Adam opened it, a little bit embarrassed after everything that had transpired. 

Marcus let himself in, taking a seat on the end of Adam’s bed. “So that was a big day,” he chuckled.

Adam sat down beside him. “Definitely was. I can’t believe those boys went to so much trouble just to get us to confess to each other,” he chuckled.

“Agreed,” Marcus sighed. “Adsy, is that why you were stressed out this morning?”

Adam grimaced. Of course Marcus had noticed he wasn’t his usual self this morning. “Yeah. Sorry I was so short with you. The idea of admitting I liked you was really messing with me,” he admitted.

Marcus nodded, snaking an arm around his waist. Adam snuggled into Marcus’ side, his body moulding into the warm space. 

“It’s okay. We’re here now,” Marcus said gently, smoothing Adam’s hair down.

Adam leant up to kiss him, more relaxed now that they weren’t being watched by their very nosy teammates.

They separated for air, and Adam rested his head on Marcus’ broad shoulder. “Does this mean you’re mine?”

Marcus chuckled. “I always was, Adsy.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! As always, I would love to hear your thoughts <3


End file.
